ATLANTA -- Jerry Jones distanced as much as possible from the Sean Payton-to-Dallas speculation and reiterated that he firmly believes Jason Garrett is the right man to coach the Cowboys.

It’s more difficult to make that case after each loss. And Garrett’s Cowboys have lost nine of their last 13 games.

However, Jones’ faith in Garrett seemed unflappable after Sunday night’s loss to the undefeated Falcons dropped the Cowboys to 3-5, increasing the odds that they’d miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season.

“Oh, I have a lot of faith in Jason,” Jones said. “I think Jason’s future is ahead of him. I know how hard he works. I like his philosophy, so I’ve got a lot of faith, a lot of confidence.

“One of the brightest spots I see is our head coaching and our coaching in the future.”

One thing about Jerry is he will give the company line about a coach right up until that coach is gone. So I wouldn't read too much into him singing Garrett's praise. He'll do that up to and including the day Jason is replaced.